Men's basketball
Basketball
21 Aug 2016 21:33

Huge blow for Rio 2016 as Mayor admits vital Barra metro extension may not be ready in time

Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes has reportedly told the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that there is a "high-risk" the vital metro-line due to link the main hub at Barra de Tijuca for this year's Olympic and Paralympic Games with the rest of the city will not be ready in time for the opening of the event in August.

In an email, entitled "strictly confidential" but obtained by O Globo, Paes asked the IOC to consider extending the BRT (Rapid Bus Transport) system, which involves exclusive lanes for public transport, as a contingency plan.

“In recent weeks, I’ve been trying to figure out what is really happening in the construction of Line 4 subway," the Mayor's message read.

"Deadlines and schedules…I heard from some people that the project is a high level of risk.

"All I can say is that the information is not clear.

"The Municipal Secretary [of Transport] Rafael Picciani already prepared an alternative, and I think we need to start studying it now and submit it to the assessment of the IOC.”

Phillip Bovy, the IOC's chief consultant for transport, is expected to travel to Brazil for meetings tomorrow.

The extension to Metro Linha 4 is among the most important legacy projects of the Games, intended to improve the commute for more than 300,000 people a day.

If it does not materialise, it would be a huge blow for the Olympics and for the city.

Barra, the location for the Athletes' Village and the main Olympic Park, is a 30 minute drive from Copacabana and the Rio Centro zone in good conditions.

It is usually a two-hour drive in rush-hour.

An Olympic-lane is already going to be introduced for accredited personnel, but this could add to the congestion and will not be accessible for spectators attending the first Games to be held in South America, due to open on August 5.

IOC President Thomas Bach did not directly address this issue when asked about the concerns here today.

He said they are in "close and contact" with organisers and have "great confidence" the Games will be a success.

About the author

Since joining insidethegames.biz in 2013, Butler has travelled to a variety of major global sporting events, including the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games as well as the most recent editions of the Asian, European and Pan American Games in Incheon, Baku and Toronto. He has also attended the last four International Olympic Committee (IOC) Sessions and has particularly enjoyed tackling the politics and diplomacy of the Olympic Movement.

inside the photos

Fact of the day

Hulking Swedish actor Dolph Lundgren is best known to movie fans for his role in the film Rocky IV in 1985. For the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta he was selected by the United States Olympic Committee as the team leader of the American modern pentathlon team. Though he attended the Games and marched with the US delegation in the Opening Ceremony, his role was largely honorary. It was bestowed on Lundgren as a result of the time he spent training with the team in preparation for his role in the film Pentathlon, where he starred as an East German Olympic gold medalist on the run from an abusive coach played by David Soul. As a result of the time he spent with the team, Lundgren became a major supporter of the campaign to keep modern pentathlon on the Olympic programme.

Featured Job

The Big Read

As the bidding race for the 2024 Olympic Games surges forward, Philip Barker looks back at previous Games held in Los Angeles and Paris as both cities hope to host the event for the third time and how their National Olympic Committees previously won the hosting rights